Main Streets Explorer
Project Type
Research + Service Design + Design Strategy
The Main Streets Explorer was a service design prototype for connecting neighborhoods, neighbors, and local business. It was scaled into the creation of an annual $50,000, Connected Communities Exploration grants to support the ongoing creation of connections between different neighborhoods and communities.
Role
Program Director
Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics,
City of Boston
Partners
Mayor’s Office of Economic Development
Boston Main Streets Foundation
Roslindale Village Main Street
Hyde Park Main Street
West Roxbury Main Street
Project Timeline
Aug, 2017-May, 2018
Promotional material from the initial Main Streets Explorer pilot.
Challenge
Neighborhood identity is a point of pride in Boston. So much so that Boston neighborhoods have enculturated barriers for exit and entry.
Not all Bostonians have opportunities to explore other neighborhoods, districts, or the small business available in them. This challenge manifests in division between neighbors and neighborhoods and generates risks to Boston’s local economy.
Approach
The Main Streets Explorer was a service design prototype for connecting neighborhoods and local business.
On a $5,000 budget, I crafted the pilot model, developed the partnerships, and organized the strategy for evaluation and scaling.
This included:
Design of the end-to-end service experience
Collaborating on the collateral design
Collecting feedback through cultural probes, interviews, and ethnographic research.
Synthesizing findings from the pilot into key insights and design guidelines for future iterations; and
Writing the initial grant and coordinating the editing and finalization process.
Outcomes
The Main Streets Explorer Pilot was scaled into an annual $50,000 Connected Community Exploration Grant.
The grant was developed in collaboration between the City of Boston’s Office of Economic Development and the Boston Main Streets Foundation.